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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. How would you feel if wind turbines that stretched taller than the spire on Dublin's O'Connell Street were erected close to your home? Well, that's a proposal for a new wind farm near Manor Hamilton in County Leitrim.
And as energy costs continue to soar, there's a stronger push now to explore more sustainable energy sources to give us their views on this. I'm joined by the chairman of the Save Do A Mountain campaign group, Darren Sweeney. and also Director of External Affairs with Wind Energy Ireland, Justin Moran. And you're both welcome to the programme. Darren, I'll start with you.
Chapter 2: What concerns do locals have about the proposed wind farm in Leitrim?
Good morning to you, firstly.
Hi, Clare, how are you?
I'm good. Now, you have told the Irish Times about your concerns for this wind farm. Describe what you think it might look like.
I suppose, visually, it's fairly clear what it will look like. And I suppose, just to start out... we're not anti-wind, we're not anti-transition to renewables. We're very much in favour of it. And just from a personal perspective, I've been involved in renewable energy for nearly 15 years now.
So it's not really, it actually isn't about what they look like because, you know, we see them dotted around our countryside every time we get into the car and the Northwest, whether it be Donegal or Leitrim, you know, you don't have to look very far to see them. So the visual side of it doesn't really bother us so much, I suppose.
One of the big things we are concerned about, and one of the things that we would like to, I suppose I'm getting a wee bit sentimental as I get older, and I'm a dad, so I'm more conscious of the next generation than my own. I really want to be sure that we have a kind of a real no regrets approach with regards our transition.
We know now more than ever, considering everything that's going on, that we need to have an alternative source of energy. That goes without saying. But get back to your question, I suppose. The scale isn't insignificant, I suppose, you know, particularly my area where I'm from, which is North Leitrim, just outside Manor Hamilton.
You know, we feel like we've been and this is more of a local opinion than my own as such. We feel like we've been pushed around a little bit over the last number of years with regards achieving some of these targets.
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Chapter 3: How do community opinions on wind farms differ?
So, you know, we've forestation has become a serious issue with us. We've had issues regarding fracking and now Wind farms has also been a serious issue with us. I wouldn't say serious issue, but has been very prominent on our skylines and also in and around our communities. It becomes a very hot topic if you bring it up in the local shop. We've had some issues in the past with regards
the location of these developments, and I say developments meaning wind farms and also plantations with peat slippages.
I'm really interested to hear what you're saying, but I'm struggling to get a handle on what your fears are around it. If it's not down to what it looks like, what are you concerned about and what is the community concerned about?
The community is concerned mainly about the habitats that are there, first of all. I suppose we have you know, it's a pristine environment we have. It's untouched. It is a carbon sink in itself because it's peatland. So it is already doing the job of achieving some of our targets towards net zero. Second to that, there's some real life issues associated as well.
Like I'm, you know, we're sparsely populated, but there are some, there's a lot of anguish with locals. You know, there is, there's, I suppose, the flicker that's associated with the turbines themselves. They're very real. We have some turbines local already. That's something, the noise is a major issue. The effect that it has on the species that are there.
So we have, you know, for example, there are approximately 100 mating hen harrier birds in Ireland. We are home to two or three of those couples. So there are a lot of real life habitual species concerns that the locals would have. On top of that, we don't have much industry where we're from. Like, it's very little industry. Yes, there are some small
factories etc but tourism is our industry like we are we are have a number of businesses and I'm you know most of the businesses rely heavily on tourism we are very local they're not going to be coming to look at wind turbines I'm going to come back to you in a minute but I want to bring in Justin at this point can I just bring in Justin at this point I'll come back to you then in a minute Darren
So, Justin, you heard the concerns outlined there by Darren and people who live in Leitrim, they're concerned about what this is going to do to their lovely environment, to the species that are there, to the fact that there is a carbon sink already active in this particular area. What do you say to those concerns?
Good morning, Karen, and good morning to Darren. What I also heard from Darren was strong support for development of renewable energy and strong support for development of wind energy. And I think what he wants, and it's a very understandable thing, is to ensure that when these projects are developed, they're developed in line with nature and in tune with nature.
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Chapter 4: What environmental impacts are associated with wind farms?
Knowing everything we know of what's happened over in other parts of the world with regards to war, you know, all it could take is a misinterpreted emoji from Donald Trump would affect electricity more so than these wind turbines on the mountain in North Leitrim. So I think it's very, very important.
What is it about this particular site? Because you've started by saying it's not because of how it would look. What is it about the particular site? And are you saying that there is somewhere else in Leitrim, nearby perhaps, where it would work, just not on Dewa Mountain?
Look, I won't get into whether there's other locations, but I suppose really what has us massively concerned and is at the forefront of our mind is that developing anything upland on peat is a bad idea. And I mean, the particular site itself that we're talking about had a refusal for a wind farm in 2010 by onboard Planola due to the risk of peat slippages.
People wouldn't have to look very far and on, you know, just Google Meenabagh, Ballybuffet, wind farm, and you will see the absolutely catastrophic effect that developing a wind farm had on upland peatland, where you had massive land slippages feeding into all the watercourses, detrimental to all the fish stocks in the area.
Likewise, more closer to home, I suppose Donegal, Meenabagh is maybe one hour from where I live from the site. Drumcairn is only up the road. Now it was to do with afforestation. It had a detrimental peat slippage. I think it was maybe, and this is, don't quote me on it, maybe six, seven years ago.
Like these had catastrophic effects on the locality, catastrophic effects on the species around the area, on watercourses, on like, we are, all of the areas around this particular site, the hydrology of it all leads to two local SSEs. So like, and some one of the SSE is the one thing that feeds all our drinking water. So this is not, This is not NIMBYism.
This is not, I don't like the look of wind turbines. It has absolutely nothing to do with that. It's to do with the fact that upland development in peat areas just is a recipe for disaster.
OK, well, Justin, what do you say to that? This is not NIMBYism and it's about the security of the land. Because, you know, if what Darren is saying is right, it doesn't seem to make sense to put this on soft peatland upland.
Well, I think that's what the planning system and that's what the Environmental Impact Assessment Report is there to investigate. And as part of carrying out that Environmental Impact Assessment Report, a peatland report needs to be carried out by the developer, which will be assessed by Ambur Pinola, by the relevant experts.
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Chapter 5: How do wind farms affect local wildlife and habitats?
They're a much smaller scale. They're 120 metres in this case. And yet they're very, very, very opposed to... And we're only worried about our specific area. And all I can say is that the locals are very, very opposed to... Those in the locality, those particular turbines, are very opposed to it.
All right, we'll leave it there for now. Justin Moran from Wind Energy Ireland and Darren Sweeney speaking to us from Leitrim. Thank you both for joining us. If you live in an area that has a wind farm, let us know how it has impacted your life. For good or for ill, 087 1400 106 is the text number you need. The Clare Byrne Show with Aviva Insurance. Weekday mornings at 9 on Newstalk.
Conversation that counts.